Arva x Stéphane Godin Photography

Stéphane Godin

Monochrome, contrasting, textured...ARVA's brand image is not the result of chance ! Using sober images by letting the mystery of light make the imagination work is part of our identity. It is the work of a man, the brand's eye in the field, a gifted and generous photographer. Concerned about presenting the other side of the set, ARVA presents Stéphane Godin, the man behind the lens !

Professional photographer, reporter for the ski and adventure press, time laps film director and drone pilot, Stéphane is a versatile artist. Born in the Jura, in the heart of one of the most beautiful natural areas in France, he knows and loves nature and outdoor activities. Working on brochures for resorts, Stéphane searches for models and discovers the world of ski images. Used by ARVA for more than 7 years, we invite you to discover its photos, published in our catalogues, on our packaging and on all the brand's communication media.

"I look at snow conditions, light and graphics first, and then if possible I put a rider on it. When there is video I can no longer be in the faces to avoid appearing in the field, so I stay with the cameramen, on the opposite faces and I manage to find beautiful frames ! "

Inspired during his studies by Henri Cartier-Bresson, photographer and photojournalist, Stéphane is immersed in the graphic universe of black and white images. Working in silver, at a time of film, photochemistry and moments of complicity with light, he has kept this taste of monochrome.

Humble and respectful of the scenes around him, the artist does not cheat. As an artisan of photography, he devotes time, as for prints under enlargers, to work on densities, contrasts. To bring out the textures, to bring back light in some areas, to remove light in others to magnify the action.

" It is a great pleasure to discover my images in the ARVA catalogue. The full-page photos, with a well-crafted and quality layout, add value to the development work done. The ARVA catalogues are for me a bit like a pressbook ! "

Thibaud Duchosal, a professional skier, is regularly the protagonist of Stéphane's images. This is the story of a meeting on a press report in 2006, more than twelve years ago. It was in Scotland. Since this adventure, the two men, passionate and sharing many values, have never stopped collaborating. Together they have criss-crossed many of the world's mountains, from New Zealand to Greenland, Patagonia, Russia, Ukraine and Greece. From all these destinations they brought back unique photos, full of memories of moments of sharing.

But the passion remains intact and Stéphane wants to continue the ski images, as long as the physical condition allows him to remind him. Continue to travel mainly in the wilderness, explore, adventure and freerando through The Endless Winter Experience, a travel agency he founded that brings together skiers, video artists and photographers. In which he also shares his know-how and passes on his experience by giving photography courses. And when asked what his favorite picture is, Stéphane hesitates but confesses a crush on one of them, recalling:

" There are a lot of them but I have a little crush on an image shot in the crater of a volcano in New Zealand. The lake is extremely acidic and the volcano erupted only a few months after our passage ! "